Readig Buddy's draft tea leaves

[shaunta53]

http://blogs.buffalonews.com/billboa...ea-leaves.html

The Bible says "an eye for an eye" and "turn the other cheek."

NFL executives likewise speak in contradictory tongues every other sentence the week leading up to the draft.

So it was at the Bills' annual pre-draft luncheon today at One Bills Drive. It's hard to draw too many conclusions about which direction the Bills are going with the 10th pick, which is exactly what Bills General Manager Buddy Nix and his entourage want eight days before the NFL Draft.

"I tell you this every time and you don’t listen, you don’t believe me," Nix started out. "But I’m gonna tell you anyway. Don’t get pinned down, now, by connecting the dots. It’s fun. I enjoy reading it. But it’s fantasy football. It has nothing to do with what we might do. I don’t care how many draftniks think that’s where we’re going and that’s the best pick for us. If that’s not the guy we’ve got rated there, we won’t take him. So don’t get yourself in a spot where it sounds like you know and it don’t work out that way."

Nix on the No. 10 pick: "You’d think at 10 you’d get a starter. With us, we’d like to get a difference-maker or a playmaker, an impact guy. You should get a starter."

At the end of the 45-minute session, Nix returned to the quesiton of getting a difference-maker as it related to an offensive tackle. Said Nix: "I guess I was thinking a big play maker, which a tackle is not. But a difference maker is a guy that makes youre team better and can do things to make you be able to do more, like throwing down the field more. So I think in that light, certainly a left tackle fits that need."

More Nix on tackles: "We need tackles. But I’m gonna make this clear. We think Chris Hairston can play left tackle for us and win. He did it. He went in there. Everybody says Fitz gets the ball out quick, and that’s true. But we run a lot of empty sets. There’s five blockers. If they bring six he’d better get it out quick or he’s gonna get hit in the mouth. In this offense he’s gotta get it out quick. Chris Hairston he may not be the prettiest foot athlete, but he’s got so much length that he can protect the back side. We feel he can do that."

So offensive tackle clearly remains a top option for the Bills in the first round. The smart money says the receiver position is very deep and the Bills may wait to supplement that spot. "The wide receiver position is deep in this draft," Nix said again Wednesday.

Nix acknowledged the team needs linebacker depth. Then he said Boston College first-round prospect Luke Kuechly could play all three linebacker positions in Buffalo. Meanwhile, there was a lot of discussion about the need for a cornerback. BIlls college scouting chief Chuck Cook was asked about the top two cornerbacks, South Carolina's Stephon Gilmore and Alabama's Dre Kirkpatrick.

Cook on Gilmore: "We like him. We think he’s a good, strong, sturdy corner who can press. Can run in the hip poicket and make palys. We like his physicalness in coming up in run support. I do think its a good year for cornerback."

Cook on Kirkpatrick: "Dre is from a great scheme. They’re so solid up front, that helps the corners. He can play more physical and he can play the ball and he can gamble a little bit more in that scheme because they are getting to the quarterback a little bit quicker. But I do think he’s physical. He can support and he can play the deep ball. ... Both of those guys are viable candidates for us."

---Mark Gaughan

[shaunta53]

I think it comes down to Glenn, Keuchly & Gilmore/Kirkpatrick at 10...

For the record, I'm perfectly fine with any of them...

[mrbojanglezs]

I think it comes down to Glenn, Keuchly & Gilmore/Kirkpatrick at 10...

For the record, I'm perfectly fine with any of them...

I'm liking the idea of Keuchly more and more each day. Glenn would be mt next choice after Kalil. Just don't know if buddy will like the value of Glenn at 10.

[bledsuck]

I'm liking the idea of Keuchly more and more each day. Glenn would be mt next choice after Kalil. Just don't know if buddy will like the value of Glenn at 10.

same here...Even if he's 75% of the Urlacher mold, that'd be great. I am glad he's being brought in for a visit as recent history says that the 1st round pick has visited OBD prior to draft (at least under Buddy).

I am still (slightly) hanging a hat on Leodis having a breakout year with the much improved d-line. If he steps up then CB, while still a draft need, may not be a first round need.

[Sulmeister]

I think it comes down to Glenn, Keuchly & Gilmore/Kirkpatrick at 10...

For the record, I'm perfectly fine with any of them...

You could maybe add Jonathan Martin if they love him. I think it is OT or Kuechly. The depth in the CB may mean we wait - similar to WR.

Knowing how much Nix likes versatility and our lack of LB depth. I think Kuechly could be the pick if he is still there and if we don't trade down which I also think could be plan A

[steckmeister03]

You could maybe add Jonathan Martin if they love him. I think it is OT or Kuechly. The depth in the CB may mean we wait - similar to WR.

Knowing how much Nix likes versatility and our lack of LB depth. I think Kuechly could be the pick if he is still there and if we don't trade down which I also think could be plan A

I think they'll They'll either go CB, WR, LT or LT, WR, CB.

The thing is, there isn't a big drop off from first and second round WRs, but there's a significant drop from second to third round receivers.

After the Top four or five CBs there's also a tremendous drop in clear talent and it becomes very hit an miss.

on top of that, I can't honestly tell a whole ton of difference between the tackles available in the first round and the ones available in the third. It's just a very very very week class this year(Save Kalil, that is)

[FloridaGatorsBuffaloBills]

I think it comes down to Glenn, Keuchly & Gilmore/Kirkpatrick at 10...

For the record, I'm perfectly fine with any of them...

From what they said about Kirkpatrick makes me think he's NOT in play at 10. They basically say Alabama's scheme made him look better than he really is because of how good they are up front and he's able to gamble more because of it.

[BillsLunaticEZE]

I think it comes down to Glenn, Keuchly & Gilmore/Kirkpatrick at 10...

For the record, I'm perfectly fine with any of them...

I think these are the guys as well and I agree that I'm perfectly fine with any of them.

[Soda Popinski]

I think it comes down to Glenn, Keuchly & Gilmore/Kirkpatrick at 10...

For the record, I'm perfectly fine with any of them...

I agree with the first two. But he said he'd like to add guys in he secondary, and they want a difference maker.

I honestly think he's looking at Kuechly Glenn, and Barron.

But of the tackles beyond Kalil I'm pretty confident they like Glenn the most. The interview kind of led me to that

[wvbillsfan]

Maybe I'm slow but that doesn't really clear it up for me. I still think its floyd or keuchly tho.

[HATER NATION]

Hard to tell now, as long as we get a playmaker ill be happy so either Luke or Floyd

[FloridaGatorsBuffaloBills]

I have to agree with them on Kirkpatrick. He reminds me to much of McKelvin, ball skills wise, for me to want him. Not to mention he played on the best defense we've probabaly ever seen in college football. I've watched to many games of recievers getting behind him for me to like him at 10.

However, I still believe the Bills take Martin at 10. Nobody is talking about him, all the attention is on Kalil and Glenn and I could see Nix being very high on him: Smart, good feet, good hands and good technique. The only major knock on him was his strength and last I checked that can be addressed in the NFL.

[RalphWilson'sWar]

LOL!
Article starts with "Don't connect the dots."
Followed by the Article attempts connecting the dots.

[Shaw66]

LOL!
Article starts with "Don't connect the dots."
Followed by the Article attempts connecting the dots.

That is exactly right. Gaughan concludes that it looks like tackle is a priority. But the Bills have said for a month or more that there are a lot of good tackles in the draft, and they aren't necessarily looking for a starter. They won't burn a 10 just to get a starter, because they have confidence in Hairston.

So just like the draft is deep in receivers and you don't need one the first round, the draft is deep in tackles.

All these folks who believe in smoke screens and all that stuff don't get. Buddy tells you the way it is. He told us when he want' going to be a player in free agency (by going to be before midnight) and he told us when he was. He told us he'd take the best player he could find in round one and then he went out and did exactly that.

He told us today - don't connect the dots - we're going to take the player who will have the most impact on the game. If it's a running back from Alabama, that's whom they'll take. If it's a tackle, it'll be a tackle.

It's BPA folks, plain and simple. He's always told us that and he's always done that. And they didn't give any clues today about who they think are 8, 9 and 10 in the draft, so there simply is no way to figure out whose name will get called. Live with it.

[sadbrad]

That is exactly right. Gaughan concludes that it looks like tackle is a priority. But the Bills have said for a month or more that there are a lot of good tackles in the draft, and they aren't necessarily looking for a starter. They won't burn a 10 just to get a starter, because they have confidence in Hairston.

So just like the draft is deep in receivers and you don't need one the first round, the draft is deep in tackles.

All these folks who believe in smoke screens and all that stuff don't get. Buddy tells you the way it is. He told us when he want' going to be a player in free agency (by going to be before midnight) and he told us when he was. He told us he'd take the best player he could find in round one and then he went out and did exactly that.

He told us today - don't connect the dots - we're going to take the player who will have the most impact on the game. If it's a running back from Alabama, that's whom they'll take. If it's a tackle, it'll be a tackle.

It's BPA folks, plain and simple. He's always told us that and he's always done that. And they didn't give any clues today about who they think are 8, 9 and 10 in the draft, so there simply is no way to figure out whose name will get called. Live with it.

If Richardson fell to 10, I think he is one of the few guys the Bills would be able to use as trade bait.

[jrober38]

I don't understand how you can conclude that the Bills prioritize an OT in round 1 after Nix says they think Hairston can do a good job there.

I'm not against picking Glenn, I just don't see how this constitutes reading the tea leaves...

[shaunta53]

I don't understand how you can conclude that the Bills prioritize an OT in round 1 after Nix says they think Hairston can do a good job there.

I'm not against picking Glenn, I just don't see how this constitutes reading the tea leaves...

Yes but he also said:

"I guess I was thinking a big play maker, which a tackle is not. But a difference maker is a guy that makes your team better and can do things to make you be able to do more, like throwing down the field more. So I think in that light, certainly a left tackle fits that need."

[jrober38]

Yes but he also said:

"I guess I was thinking a big play maker, which a tackle is not. But a difference maker is a guy that makes your team better and can do things to make you be able to do more, like throwing down the field more. So I think in that light, certainly a left tackle fits that need."

It's no secret the Bills want to get better at OT. They've been saying that since Nix took the job.

The problem is Nix will never be willing to leave his draft board to pick one in round 1, and the value clearly won't be there when we pick.

I like Glenn as the 2nd best OT in the draft, but in terms of overall value, I don't see anyway Nix passes up talents like Kuechly, Ingram, Barron or either of the CBs to draft an OT who is graded as roughly the 20th best player in the draft.

The only way they pick Glenn #10 is if they legitimately think he's a top 10 talent. Nix will not stray from his big board for the sake of picking a LT.

[cksteele79]

The bills need WR OT LB in the first 3 picks.how they Do that depends on how the draft falls. id be shocked if they take a CB At 10

[Sdigity2]

It's no secret the Bills want to get better at OT. They've been saying that since Nix took the job.

The problem is Nix will never be willing to leave his draft board to pick one in round 1, and the value clearly won't be there when we pick.

I like Glenn as the 2nd best OT in the draft, but in terms of overall value, I don't see anyway Nix passes up talents like Kuechly, Ingram, Barron or either of the CBs to draft an OT who is graded as roughly the 20th best player in the draft.

The only way they pick Glenn #10 is if they legitimately think he's a top 10 talent. Nix will not stray from his big board for the sake of picking a LT.

The most important thing to remember is that Nix once said he would deviate from his draft board if a particular player that filled a need was close in value to BPA...and we all know the players 7 thru 20 are nearly identicle in value